quarter hour

noun

1
: fifteen minutes
2
: any of the quarter points of an hour
3
: a unit of academic credit representing an hour of class (such as lecture class) or three hours of laboratory work each week for an academic quarter

Examples of quarter hour in a Sentence

Trains depart every quarter hour. I waited a quarter hour in line.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Unlike conventional minute repeaters, which chime the hours, quarter hours, and minutes, this one sounds the hours, 10-minute intervals, and minutes. Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2023 The 2022 telecast attracted 13.8 million total viewers, with a 5.3 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic in the midnight quarter hour. Joe Otterson, Variety, 20 Nov. 2023 Unlike traditional minute repeaters, which chime the hours, quarter hours, and minutes to audibly tell the time, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater chimes the hours, 10-minute intervals, and minutes. Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2023 For the unversed, classic minute repeaters chime the hour, quarter hours, and minutes, but the decimal variation strikes tones for the hours, the tens of minutes, and the single minutes. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 28 June 2023 Adult Swim was programming quarter hours and Fox was doing Fox shows. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 June 2023 There really seems to be no reason — beyond the fact that running times don’t seem to matter for Netflix — why Kill Boksoon lasts for two-and-a-quarter hours. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2023 Thanks to the unique design of the new trains, passengers can remain in their comfortable seats throughout the three-and-a-quarter hour trip, immersing themselves in the ever-changing view through enormous panoramic windows. Ben Jones, CNN, 9 Dec. 2022 See the 2022 Oscars telecast’s live viewership and ratings broken down by quarter hour below. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarter hour was circa 1597

Dictionary Entries Near quarter hour

Cite this Entry

“Quarter hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarter%20hour. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

quarter hour

noun
1
: any of the quarter points of an hour
2
: 15 minutes
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